Magnetocaloric properties of Gd/sub 7/Pd/sub 3/ and related intermetallic compounds

From heat capacity measurements performed in the 5-350 K temperature range at 0- and 5-Tesla applied magnetic field on the intermetallic compounds Gd/sub 7/Pd/sub 3/ and Gd/sub 7/Pd/sub 2/Ni, and on the eutectic between Gd and Gd/sub 7/Pd/sub 3/ with composition Gd/sub 76/Pd/sub 24/, the main magnetocaloric properties of the alloys were obtained, namely the isothermal entropy change /spl Delta/S/sub M/, the adiabatic temperature rise /spl Delta/T/sub ad/ and the refrigerant capacity Q.